About NLADA

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Equal Justice Excellence

Our Mission

Because the quality of justice in America should not depend on how much money a person has, NLADA leads a broad network of advocates on the frontlines to advance justice and expand opportunity for all by promoting excellence in the delivery of legal services for people who cannot afford counsel.

Our Work

Effective local advocacy requires a strong national advocate. NLADA is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. We provide advocacy, guidance, information, training and technical assistance for members of the equal justice community, especially those working in public defense and civil legal aid. For more than a century, we have connected and supported people across the country committed to justice for all.

Our Values

"As the only national organization whose resources are dedicated exclusively — and have been for more than a century — to advancing both civil and criminal justice for low income people, we have a unique vantage point from which to guide our members through a rapidly evolving justice landscape.

While political circumstances are shifting slowly, the practice of legal services delivery is changing exponentially. Online providers of legal aid are emerging to meet demand in non-traditional ways, and sophisticated analytics are transforming public defense. At NLADA we are embracing these changes — providing leadership in new approaches to better meet your needs, and most importantly to all of us, the needs of low-income clients and communities."